Now And Then A Memoir Of Vocation

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A celebrated author shares his personal and professional journey in this moving memoir. Buechner invites readers to listen to their own lives and "touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it". "Strikes to the heart. . . . Unpreachy meditations on life and Christianity at its most profound".--People Magazine..

Drawing from more than 25 years of literary know-how and modeled after a 15-week college course, this manual provides guidance for seekers wishing to delve further into self-exploration through writing. Extending beyond the idea that memoir writing intends to put past events into a more understandable current perspective, the guide maintains that keeping a document of one’s life is actually the basis of a psychic process called “soul work,” which manifests as a desire to experience the state of being alive to the fullest. This unusual approach to memoir writing aims to generate more honest and genuine results that come from inner needs rather than outer expectations. Intended to clarify a writer’s developmental path, this resource emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and the need for dealing with difficult material that actually alters the writer in the process, resulting in significant growth of the soul..

Surprised by Faith celebrates the 75th anniversary of C. S. Lewis “kicking and screaming” his way into Christianity—his 1931 conversion. Lewis described himself as, “the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England." But a convert, nonetheless, surprised by joy. This volume was inspired by Lewis’s autobiographical account of the life-events which led to his coming to faith—an event that had a profound effect on his work and his relationships. In Surprised by Faith, Lewis’s conversion is explored as both “a rational quest for truth and a romantic quest for meaning.” This collection of essays commemorates Lewis’s conversion, but also celebrates, examines and discusses what conversion means to us as scholars, academicians, and most importantly, as human beings. It’s a kind of conversation about conversion. The conversation’s participants are individuals from a variety of backgrounds who themselves have been converted in the classic Christian sense. Surprised by Faith hopefully will challenge the reader to think more deeply, biblically and theologically about the transformation that takes place in each life that embraces Christ and moves from unbelief to belief. The essays look at the influence of conversion on perspectives as they relate to various disciplines, such as anthropology, poetry, psychology, education, philosophy and culture..

Autobiographical writings on faith frequently come from the lives of ordinary persons whose struggles with faith are often lived at the margins of the church, academy, and society. Yet these voices have the potential to reshape the ways in which each of these fields function. To find out what it means to stand before God with all of one's humanity on display is to engage in not only the act of confession, but to demonstrate a bold theological reflection that needs to be more explicitly understood. By turning to spiritual autobiographies as theological source texts, we learn to place our emphasis where it matters most, on the people whose lives of faith move us deeply and cause us to re-examine our own lives in light of their witness. Moving through a range of ancient, early modern, and contemporary spiritual writers in order to demonstrate a profound connection that unites them all, this book portrays how a critical self-examination of one's most personal, internal fractures (our "poverty" as it were) is the only way to develop a life of faith--the dual meaning of the word "confession," which expresses both a revealing of one's sins, or brokenness, and the articulation of what one believes..

Find More Than Just a Job Are you in college, just starting in the workforce, or simply trying to figure out what to do with your life? Keep reading. We all need to pay bills and keep a roof over our head, but real satisfaction comes when we pursue careers filled with meaning and purpose according to God’s plan for our lives. No matter where you’re at now, you can find that kind of fulfillment in a career. This book will show you how. Here’s a hint: It’s less about the kind of work you do, but how you do it, and whom you’re doing it for. Once you understand the “why” behind work, you’ll be able to move forward in a career with confidence, be prepared to embrace change, and be equipped to approach your job with a whole heart, one that is fully submitted to God and ready for what He’s called you to do. That is truly work worth doing..

Four Australian thinkers come together to ask and answer the big questions, such as: What is the nature of the universe? Doesn't religion cause most of the conflict in the world? and Where do we find hope? We are introduced to the detail of different belief systems - Judaism, Christianity, Islam - and to the argument that atheism, like organised religion, has its own compelling logic. And we gain insight into the life events that led each author to their current position. Jane Caro flirted briefly with spiritual belief, inspired by 19th century literary heroines such as Elizabeth Gaskell and the Brontë sisters. Antony Lowenstein is proudly culturally, yet unconventionally, Jewish. Simon Smart is firmly and resolutely a Christian, but one who has had some of his most profound spiritual moments while surfing. Rachel Woodlock grew up in the alternative embrace of Baha'i belief but became entranced by its older parent religion, Islam. Provocative, informative and passionately argued, For God's Sake encourages us to accept religious differences but to also challenge more vigorously the beliefs that create discord..

Young adults often encounter mixed messages about vocation from their families, friends, and churches. On the one hand, they are encouraged to look at their gifts and passions to discern their particular calling; on the other hand, they are told that God may ask something of them that they don t want to do or aren t prepared for. The discontinuity between these messages has led to frustration for many. Seeking to ease that frustration with this book, Doug Koskela carefully distinguishes between missional calling, direct calling, and general calling. Koskela clarifies the relationship between gifts, passions, and vocation even as he offers practical guidance for the process of vocational discernment. This is a book for those who want to use their time, energy, and abilities faithfully as they move with purpose toward the future. Watch a 2015 interview here:.

“I challenge you to get through a chapter of this book without a desire for God being struck in your soul. Roger Owens wears his brilliance lightly and loves words tenderly and lavishly in these pages. He is ferociously gifted, and fast becoming one of the abbas to whom the reading church often turns for a word from the Lord.” -Jason Byassee, Senior Pastor of Boone United Methodist Church and a Fellow in Theology & Leadership at Duke Divinity School With a style and warmth of presentation that will remind readers of Henri Nouwen’s most popular work, Abba Give Me a Word interweaves the author’s personal stories of struggle – and transformation – with reflections on the history and purpose of spiritual direction. The result is a wise introduction to an ancient art and practice of “soul care” – directed at Christians of all backgrounds. “This is a guide for those eager for a serious yet joyful journey from isolation to communion. It is about companionship on the greatest journey anyone can undertake. It is about kindness in the old sense of the word.” -Alan Jones - Dean Emeritus of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, and the author of Soul Making.

Together for the first time in one devotional, experience daily readings from such bestselling and respected voices as Frederick Buechner, Brennan Manning, Henri Nouwen, Eugene Peterson, James Bryan Smith, A. W. Tozer, Dallas Willard, and N. T. Wright. Faith That Matters was designed to help you confidently walk in faith every day of the year. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to get lost in a never-ending list of projects and demands. We become distracted with what’s urgent instead of what matters most. And in the process, we lose sight of who we are . . . and who God is. Faith That Matters is a beautifully designed devotional that reminds us of the timeless truths of Scripture. Each reading offers powerful stories and inspiring insights from trusted Christian communicators such as: Frederick Buechner Brennan Manning Henri Nouwen Eugene Peterson James Bryan Smith W. Tozer Dallas Willard N. T. Wright All 365 devotions also include a relevant Bible verse, practical suggestions for living out that day’s reading, and a brief closing prayer. The variety of contributors provides a treasure trove of unique perspectives on issues ranging from God’s love, mercy, and hope to themes of grace, provision, and peace. These well-known authors have sold a combined total of millions of books. Now, for the first time, their writings have been brought together in one devotional. Whether you seek to understand the foundation of our faith tenets or simply need a daily dose of spiritual encouragement, your heart and soul will be refreshed anew with each reading. Draw closer to God every day of the year with Faith That Matters..

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Covering 2,000 years, this two-volume set is the first encyclopedia devoted to Christian writers and books. In addition to an overview of the Christian literature, this encyclopedia includes more than 40 essays on the principal genres of Christian literature and more than 400 bio-bibliographical essays describing the principal writers and their works..

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In response to the escalating need for up-to-date information on writers, Contemporary Authors(R) New Revision Series brings researchers the most recent data on the worlds most-popular authors. These exciting and unique author profiles are essential to your holdings because sketches are entirely revised and up-to-date, and completely replace the original Contemporary Authors(R) entries. For your convenience, a soft-cover cumulative index is sent biannually..

When Colin asks Jane to marry him she joyfully accepts – but then asks him if he would mind waiting for a few months, maybe a year and a half, as she has always wondered if God was calling her to be a nun. Over the course of 18 months, in 2011-2012, she tests out this vocation in a series of religious houses, and we follow her journey and her wonderings. The religious houses she spends time in are based initially in Canada, but then on the Isle of Wight and finally North Yorkshire, and she meets a range of well-realised characters en route, finding both godliness and narrow minded prejudice and inhumanity in all places. What is God calling her to do? Superbly written, very funny, very evocative and very feisty..

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1873 edition. Excerpt: ...I. I confess it. But I cannot do otherwise than think so. It seems as if I knew it immediately. Spirit. What this answer, "thou knowest it immediately," may signify, we shall see should we be brought back to it as the only possible one. We will however first try all other possible methods of ascertaining the grounds of the assertion that everything must have a cause. Dost thou know this by immediate perception? I. How could I? since perception only declares that in me something is, according as I am determined this way or that, but never that it has become so; still less that it has become so by means of a foreign power lying beyond all perception. Spirit. Or dost thou obtain this principle by generalisation of thy observation of external things, the cause of which thou hast always discovered out of themselves; an observation which thou now appliest to thyself and to thine own condition 1 I. Do not treat me like a child, and ascribe to me palpable absurdities. By the principle of causality I first arrive at a knowledge of things out of myself; how then can I again, by observation of these things, arrive at this principle itself Shall the earth rest on the great elephant, and the great elephant again upon the earth? Spirit. Or is this principle a deduction from some other general truth? L Which again could be founded neither on immediate perception, nor on the observation of external things, and concerning the origin of which thou wouldst still raise other questions! I might only possess this previous fundamental truth by immediate knowledge. Better to say this at once of the principle of causality and let thy conjectures rest. Spirit. Let it be so;--we then obtain, besides the first immediate knowledge of our own states, through....

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